Meenangadi: The body of the farmer who went missing from a river bank in Wayanad was found in the river under mysterious circumstances. The body of Keezhanikal Surendran (55) was found four kilometers away from the place where he went missing. Although a crocodile attack was the initial suspicion, the body showed no signs of attack by a creature. Hence, mystery regarding the death continues.

Surendran had gone missing from the river bank near his house on Wednesday afternoon when he had gone to collect fodder. The body was retrieved at 3 PM on Thursday. Pugmarks of an unknown creature and signs of the body being dragged across the grass intensifies the mystery. 

After Surendran went missing, search was conducted till 6:30 PM on Wednesday but he couldn’t be found. On Thursday morning, NDRF, lifeguards, fire rescue and emergency team carried out a massive search operation. 

The body was found by the Turkish lifeguard committee near a temporary bridge connecting Malakkad temple to Gandhinagar. It was lying underwater in the deeper section under the bridge. Clothes believed to be that of Surendran were found 100 meters away from the house on Wednesday.

But the deceased’s wife said that Surendran went to collect fodder after removing these clothes. The finding of a torn shirt with collar separated strengthened the suspicion of a creature attack.

Following this, the scientific team of police also conducted an investigation. The victim’s shirt and his undergarments were found on the body. Police Chief Padam Singh, DYSP Abdul Shariff visited the site. The Meengangadi police conducted an inquest and moved the body to Kozhikode for post-mortem procedures.